Thai Camping Tip in Newspaper

During breaks at language school, I read the English Thailand paper. This article had some interesting, funny, and disturbing insights about Thai camping.

A lot of novice campers find it difficult to get themselves to sleep in the wilderness. To overcome this problem, some people resort to alcoholic drinks, sleeping pills or other drugs.

But this is not a wise thing to do. Of course, the forest is not a dangerous place, but like anywhere else, emergencies can occur. Imagine what would happen if your camp was ravaged during the night by forest fire, flash flood or a herd of elephants. While everybody else would be running for their lives, you would perhaps be lying unconscious in your tent. It is very likely that you may never see the light of the day again.

The best and safest way to get sleep is to free your mind of all worries (including the one that you'll not be able to sleep). Empty your mind of all thoughts as soon as you lie down. This needs practice.

Adventures on Elephant Island

Ying, one of my housemates, and I enjoyed a week trip together home to see her family and vacationing at a nearby island. God blessed us with good conversation growing us together and a good travel companion. Thank you for your prayers.

Ying and I met Katelyn on the ferry. After a few minutes, she asked me "What do you depend on for your faith? That question led to awesome conversation. At the end, I gave her my Bible for her to read as she strives to understand how God loves her. Pray for her please.

This elephant wanted to pick me up! So fun!

Canoeing to an island that made me feel like I was on the set of Lost.

Ying's family invited me to visit them for the New Year holidays, spending four days in the district bordering Cambodia. Ying's parents are planting a church there. Please pray for their church plant and their family.

I was encouraged seeing Ying's family's church plant. Having a typical invitation as a missionary, I was asked to sing a special Christmas song in English SOLO!, share my testimony about how I am a misionary, and teach Sunday School! I survived them all, thanks be to God!

Junk Food Fatalism

I confess, I ate at McD's today. Its really a wierd situation I call "Junk Food Fatalism." Before I came to Thailand, I had prepared myself for not having anything of luxury here. The missionary reputation is that of living in a hut with only rice to eat, but do remember I live in Bangkok. The city of skyscrapers and public transportation. Yet, I was still surprised at the first sighting of a Dairy Queen or a McD's. I keep thinking any day now, they will disappear because they don't really exist. I am in Thailand, how can I be able to eat a blizzard or a McNugget? Yet, I do. Soon, the excitement will wear out hopefully, but until then, I will enjoy my McNugget every so often after a whole four hours of Thai language where my face was so scrunched up the whole time from confusion, I'm positive I have gained wrinkles. The funny thing today was that McD's was playing "O Night Divine" today, two weeks past Christmas! So funny.

Good News Through Noodles

Jesus ate a lot with people, I've been thinking about that lately. He ate at Pharisee's house, at Lazarus's house, and with Zaccheus. A lot of the conversations I've had this week have been at noodle shops eating as well. Across from our office on the corner is one noodle shop that we stop and eat at even if we're not hungry so we can love those people who work there. Naa is about to have a baby in a month and the baby's not growing too fast because she must work so much. Pen and she both have shared the struggles of that with us. I pray we may show them the peace that comes from trusting God with life's struggles.

Also across from my house is another noodle shop. I stop often to say hello and wave because they see me leaving and coming back to my house everytime I do everyday. The lady, Boom, struck up a conversation about her interest in Christianity the other day with me. And that has led to some great conversations since....and great moments for my roommates to be strengthened in sharing about God with their fellow Thais, since my language limits me. My job is to sit, smile, pray, and eat my noodles.

Named after a Bus

Melanie is just too long of a name here in Thailand. I do live in Bangkok, who's actual name is the longest name of a city in the whole world (Guinness Records). Everyone has really long names, but they take nicknames of food and animals and the like.

Yesterday I began my last module of full-time language learning with my new teacher deciding right away to shorten my name to "Me" (short e). Most people don't shorten their name, they make a new one. The problem with shortening my name is that "Me" means "bus." Yep, I'm now named after a bus at school. And I'm sure soon everyone will be calling for the bus, oop, that's me! :)

I told them I'd rather be named after watermelon or something. :)

Christmas Church Events

Caroling to the fish vendors at the market

The front of our church during the Christmas outreach special service! Wow!

I helped a short-term team and the Thai staff put on a Christmas play at our Christmas outreach service.

We began outreach in a the Police Flats neighborhood with this big event where at least 150 people showed up, half at least were kids.

Our English program had a Christmas party for all the English students. About 50 showed up for games and hearing the Christmas story.

For Thai Father's Day, we invited lots of families to a special Father's Day Service.

The Thai staff and our team leader, Dave, who make all the events possible. Please pray that our church may grow not only in believers, but in servant-minded members and a Thai pastor.

As these Christmas events were awesome in the number of people that heard about Jesus, the follow-up is difficult and the numbers attending church service have remained the same. Please pray that God may bring more Thais to know who He is and what Christmas was about!

The Necessity of a Machine Mouth

I started my prayers when Ying's mom threw the chicken feet into the sweet curry that I was stirring for dinner that night. Ok, ok, its really not that much of a stretch compared to guinea pig in Peru or a cow tongue in Mexico.

Ying's dad says they're easy to eat because your mouth is a machine. In goes the chicken foot and out goes the bone. Ok, I tried it. In went the chicken foot. My mouth said, "This is food?" and out went the chicken foot. I couldn't find anything but bone! I failed. But I did attempt.

The machine mouths...
-In goes the chicken foot, out comes the bone.
-In goes the watermelon, out come the seeds.
-In goes the shrimp, out comes the tail.
-In goes cherry stem and out comes the stem in a knot (no idea, but its gotta be easy for them here!?)

The trip was great fun, pictures to come. For now, I'll leave you with an interesting fact, squid eggs have high cholesterol, so limit your consumption.